Epidemiological Evaluation of Palatal Cancers in Iran: A Study on 303 Cases

Abstract

Background: Palatal neoplasms may demonstrate different microscopic features compared with other anatomic area of the oral cavity, which is due to the accumulation of a large amount of salivary gland structure. Objectives: Due to lack of adequate information on malignant neoplasms of this unique anatomic site, the current study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of palatal cancers in Iranian population during a 6-year period. Methods: The files of Iran cancer registry, ministry of health and Medical education have been used as the source of the materials from 2003 to 2009 for this study. This center has been collecting data on patients with cancer from all main hospitals located in various cities of Iran. All palatal malignant lesions were recorded. Patients' gender, decades of life, and histopathologic type of cancers were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed, using SPSS 21 software and the results with P < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Palatal cancers accounted for 8.66% of the oral malignancies. During this period, 303 cases of palatal malignancies had been registered in this center. The majority of cases were in the 5th to 8th decades of life with male to female ratio 1.29. Salivary gland malignancies were the most common cancers in palatal region (47.19%) followed by epithelial cancers (36.3%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (5.94%). Conclusions: This study provided a large series of demographic data and microscopic variations of palatal cancers in Iran, which may contribute to precise diagnosis and better treatment of these malignancies.